AIMS:This study was carried out to investigate the effect of Allium cepa crude extract on cadmium-induced testicular toxicity in rats.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 4 groups (n = 6). Group 1 was used as control, group 2 was administered 0.3 mg/kgBW of cadmium sulfate (CdSO4) intraperitoneally for 3 days, group 3 was pretreated with 1 ml/100 g BW of Allium cepa (AcE) for 8 weeks followed by intraperitoneal administration of 0.3 mg/kgBW of CdSO4 in the last 3 days of experiment, and group 4 was administered 1 ml/100 g BW of AcE throughout the experiment. Testicular weight and semen analysis revealing the sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology was carried out. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase activities, and lipid peroxidation status were also carried out in testes.RESULTS:The study demonstrated that Allium cepa ameliorated CdSO4–induced alteration in testicular weight, sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. It also showed that Allium cepa attenuated the derangement of lipid peroxidation profile in testicular tissues caused by CdSO4 exposure.CONCLUSIONS:The findings in the study showed that pre-treatment of rat model with Allium cepa extract prevented CdSO4–induced reproductive toxicity by improving sperm quality and enhancing testicular lipid peroxidation status.
In this study, the suitability of Agama lizard as a biomarker in assessing environmental pollution levels of arsenium (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) was investigated. Samples of top soil and agama lizards were taken from five sites within a university community in Nigeria for the study. Soil samples, livers and kidneys from the lizards were subjected to wet acid digestion and levels of heavy metals in the digested samples were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Results of the study showed that the levels of the metals ranged from Cd, 20.4 ± 2.6 μg/g to Zn, 978.6 ± 2.2 μg/g in soil; Cd, not detected to Zn, 42.2 ± 0.3 μg/g in liver; As and Ba, not detected to 47.6 ± 1.0 μg/g Zn in kidney. The inter matrices correlation coefficient values obtained for the heavy metals showed that the kidney of lizards would be more relevant in assessing soil levels of such heavy metals as As, Ba, Cd, Mn and Pb among others.
Modifications of neurobehavioral activities related to single episodes of consumption of different doses of bee honey were examined in rats under conditions of the hole-board (HB) test (to evaluate the level of anxiety) and open-field (OF) test (where the intensities of locomotion, rearing, and grooming were measured). Animals of all subgroups had free access to normal saline, while rats of the three experimental subgroups consumed bee honey in the doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g per 1 kg body mass (in the form of 10, 20, and 40% solutions, respectively). Among the doses tested, only higher ones induced considerable changes in the behavioral indices. The highest dose (2.0 g/kg) provided a more than twofold increase in the number of examined holes in the HB test; in the OF test, it also increased the numbers of crossed squares, rearings and grooming episodes by 30, 37, and 164%, respectively. Thus, our experiments demonstrated rather significant ability of the natural product tested to relieve anxiety and intensify motor, research/orientational, and grooming aspects of behavior even upon single acts of consumption. Possible neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the behavioral modifications observed are discussed.
Medroxyprogesterone acetate is the most commonly used progestin component of hormone therapy. The goal of the present study was to determine whether Medroxyprogesterone affects rat behavior using a Y-maze test. Twenty-four female Wistar rats were randomly selected into three groups; control group, a low dose (13 mg/ml MPA) group and a high dose (33 mg/1 ml MPA) group. Doses of Medroxyprogesterone were delivered by intramuscular injection for a period of 3 weeks. Medroxyprogesterone administration resulted in a decrease in memory and locomotion activity of rats (p < 0.05). Despite Medroxyprogesterone being effective in modulating hormonal interaction to prevent conception in actively reproducing females, cognitive impairment could be one of its adverse effects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.